Acts 2-5

New Life Version

The Holy Spirit Comes On the Followers of Jesus

2 The followers of Jesus were all together in one place fifty days after the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. ² All at once there was a sound from heaven like a powerful wind. It filled the house where they were sitting. ³ Then they saw tongues which were divided that looked like fire. These came down on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they began to speak in other languages which the Holy Spirit made them able to speak.

⁵ There were many religious Jews staying in Jerusalem. They were from every country of the world. ⁶ When they heard this strange sound, they gathered together. They all listened! It was hard for them to believe they were hearing words in their own language. ⁷ They were surprised and wondered about it. They said to each other, “Are not these Galileans who are speaking? ⁸ How is it that each one of us can hear his own language? ⁹ We are Parthians and Medes, Elamites and from the countries of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and in the countries of Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene. Some have come from the city of Rome. Some are Jews by birth and others have become Jews. ¹¹ Some are also men of the countries of Crete and Arabia. They are speaking of the powerful works of God to all of us in our own language!” ¹² They were all surprised and wondered about this. They said to each other, “What can this mean?” ¹³ But others laughed and made fun, saying, “These men are full of new wine.”

Peter Preaches—What Joel Said Would Happen Has Happened

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the eleven missionaries and spoke with a loud voice, “Men of the country of Judea and all of you who are living in Jerusalem, I want you to know what is happening. So listen to what I am going to say. ¹⁵ These men are not drunk as you think. It is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶ The early preacher Joel said this would happen. ¹⁷ God says, ‘In the last days I will send My Spirit on all men. Then your sons and daughters will speak God’s Word. Your young men will see what God has given them to see. Your old men will dream dreams. ¹⁸ Yes, on those I own, both men and women, I will send My Spirit in those days. They will speak God’s Word. ¹⁹ I will show powerful works in the sky above. There will be things to see in the earth below like blood and fire and clouds of smoke. ²⁰ The sun will turn dark and the moon will turn to blood before the day of the Lord. His coming will be a great and special day. ²¹ It will be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved from the punishment of sin.’ ^(A)

Peter Preaches—Jesus Shows Who He Is by What He Did

²² “Jewish men, listen to what I have to say! You knew Jesus of the town of Nazareth by the powerful works He did. God worked through Jesus while He was with you. You all know this. ²³ Jesus was handed over to sinful men. God knew this and planned for it to happen. You had sinful men take Him and nail Him to a cross. ²⁴ But God raised Him up. He allowed Him to be set free from the pain of death. Death could not hold its power over Him.

Peter Preaches—Jesus Shows Who He Is by What He Said

²⁵ “David said this about Him, ‘I can see the Lord before me all the time. He is at my right side so that I do not need to be troubled. ²⁶ I am glad and my tongue is full of joy. My body rests in hope. ²⁷ You will not leave my soul in death. You will not allow Your Holy One to be destroyed. ²⁸ You have shown me the ways of life. I will be full of joy when I see Your face.’ ^(B)

²⁹ “Brothers, I can tell you in plain words that our early father David not only died but was buried. We know where his grave is today. ³⁰ He was one who spoke for God. He knew God had made a promise to him. From his family Christ would come and take His place as King. ³¹ He knew this before and spoke of Christ being raised from the dead. Christ’s soul would not be left in hell. His body would not be destroyed. ³² Jesus is this One! God has raised Him up and we have all seen Him.

³³ “This Jesus has been lifted up to God’s right side. The Holy Spirit was promised by the Father. God has given Him to us. That is what you are seeing and hearing now! ³⁴ It was not David who was taken up to heaven, because he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right side, ³⁵ for those who hate You will be a place to rest Your feet.”’ ^{(C) 36} The whole Jewish nation must know for sure that God has made this Jesus, both Lord and Christ. He is the One you nailed to a cross!”

They Ask Peter What They Should Do

³⁷ When the Jews heard this, their hearts were troubled. They said to Peter and to the other missionaries, “Brothers, what should we do?” ³⁸ Peter said to them, “Be sorry for your sins and turn from them and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and your sins will be forgiven. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ This promise is to you and your children. It is to all people everywhere. It is to as many as the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ He said many other things. He helped them understand that they should keep themselves from the sinful people of this day. ⁴¹ Those who believed what he said were baptized. There were about 3,000 more followers added that day.

The First Church

⁴² They were faithful in listening to the teaching of the missionaries. They worshiped and prayed and ate the Lord’s supper together. ⁴³ Many powerful works were done by the missionaries. Surprise and fear came on them all. ⁴⁴ All those who put their trust in Christ were together and shared what they owned. ⁴⁵ As anyone had need, they sold what they owned and shared with everyone. ⁴⁶ Day after day they went to the house of God together. In their houses they ate their food together. Their hearts were happy. ⁴⁷ They gave thanks to God and all the people respected them. The Lord added to the group each day those who were being saved from the punishment of sin.

Peter and John Heal a Man at the Gate of the House of God

3 Peter and John were going to the house of God about three o’clock. It was the time for prayer. ² Each day a certain man was carried to the Beautiful Gate of the house of God. This man had never been able to walk. He was there begging for money from those who were going in. ³ He asked Peter and John for money when he saw them going in. ⁴ Peter and John looked at him. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ The man who could not walk looked at them. He thought he would get something from them. ⁶ Peter said, “I have no money, but what I have I will give you! In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” ⁷ Peter took the man by the right hand and lifted him up. At once his feet and the bones in his legs became strong. ⁸ He jumped up on his feet and walked. Then he went into the house of God with them. He gave thanks to God as he walked.

⁹ All the people saw him walking and giving thanks to God. ¹⁰ They knew it was the man who had been sitting and begging at the Beautiful Gate. They were surprised he was walking. ¹¹ The man who was healed held on to Peter and John. All the people who were surprised gathered together around them in a place called Solomon’s Porch.

Peter Preaches the Second Time

¹² When Peter saw this, he said to them, “Jewish men, why are you surprised at this? Why do you look at us as if we had made this man walk by our own power or holy lives? ¹³ The God of our fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, has done this. He has honored His Son Jesus. He is the One you handed over to Pilate. You turned your backs on Him after Pilate had decided to let Him go free. ¹⁴ But you turned your backs against the Holy and Right One. Then you asked for a man who had killed someone to go free. ¹⁵ You killed the very One Who made all life. But God raised Him from the dead. We saw Him alive. ¹⁶ You see and know this man here. He has been made strong through faith in Jesus’ name. Yes, it is faith in Christ that has made this man well and strong. This man is standing here in front of you all.

¹⁷ “Brothers, I know you and your leaders did this without knowing what you were doing. ¹⁸ In this way, God did what He said He would do through all the early preachers. He said that Christ must suffer many hard things. ¹⁹ But you must be sorry for your sins and turn from them. You must turn to God and have your sins taken away. Then many times your soul will receive new strength from the Lord. ²⁰ He will send Jesus back to the world. He is the Christ Who long ago was chosen for you. ²¹ But for awhile He must stay in heaven until the time when all things are made right. God said these things would happen through His holy early preachers.

²² “Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up from among your brothers One Who speaks for God, as He raised me. You must listen to everything He says. ²³ Everyone among the people who will not listen to that One Who speaks for God will be put to death.’ ^{(D) 24} All the early preachers who have spoken from Samuel until now have told of these days. ²⁵ You are of the family of the early preachers and of the promise that God made with our early fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘All the families of the earth will receive God’s favor through your children.’ ²⁶ God has raised up His Son Jesus and has sent Him to you first to give God’s favor to each of you who will turn away from his sinful ways.”

Peter and John Are Put in Prison

4 The religious leaders and the leader of the house of God and some of the religious group who believe no one will be raised from the dead came to Peter and John while they were talking to the people. ² They were angry because Peter and John had been teaching the people and preaching that Jesus had been raised from the dead. ³ So they took them and put them in prison until the next day because it was evening. ⁴ But many of those who heard what Peter and John said put their trust in Christ. The group of followers was now about 5,000 men.

Peter Speaks to the Religious Leaders’ Court

⁵ The next day the leaders of the court and the leaders of the people and the teachers of the Law came together in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the head religious leader was there. Caiaphas and John and Alexander were there also and all who were in the family of the head religious leader. ⁷ They put the missionaries in front of them and asked, “By what power or in whose name have you done this?”

⁸ Then Peter, having been filled with the Holy Spirit, said, “You who are leaders of the people, ⁹ are you asking us today about the good work we did to a man who needed help? Are you asking how he was healed? ¹⁰ You and all the Jews must know that it was by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you nailed to a cross and God raised from the dead. It is through Him that this man stands in front of you well and strong. ¹¹ Christ is the Stone that was put aside by you workmen. But He has become the most important Stone in the building. ^{(E) 12} There is no way to be saved from the punishment of sin through anyone else. For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we can be saved.”

Peter and John Are Free to Go but Are Told Not to Preach

¹³ They were surprised and wondered how easy it was for Peter and John to speak. They could tell they were men who had not gone to school. But they knew they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ They were not able to argue about what Peter and John had said because the man who had been healed was standing with them.

¹⁵ The religious leaders told Peter and John to leave the court so the leaders could talk together. ¹⁶ They said, “What should we do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem knows a powerful work has been done by them. We cannot say that it did not happen. ¹⁷ Let us tell them with strong words that they must not speak again to anyone in this name. This will keep the news from going out among the people.”

¹⁸ Then they called them in and told them they must not speak or teach anymore in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ Peter and John said, “If it is right to listen to you more than to God, you decide about that. ²⁰ For we must tell what we have seen and heard.”

²¹ After they had spoken more sharp words to them, they let them go. They could not beat them because the people were giving thanks to God for what had happened. ²² The man on whom this powerful work of healing had been done was more than forty years old.

The Prayer of the Young Church

²³ As soon as the missionaries were free to go, they went back to their own group. They told them everything the religious leaders had said. ²⁴ When they heard it, they all prayed to God, saying, “Lord God, You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them. ²⁵ You said through the Holy Spirit by the mouth of our father David, ‘Why are the nations so shaken up and the people planning foolish things? ²⁶ The kings of the earth stood in a line ready to fight, and the leaders were all against the Lord and against His Christ.’ ^{(F) 27} You know that Herod and Pilate and the Jews and the people who are not Jews gathered together here against Jesus. He was Your Holy Son and the One You had chosen ²⁸ to do everything You planned and said would happen. ²⁹ And now, Lord, listen to their sharp words. Make it easy for your servants to preach Your Word with power. ³⁰ May You heal and do powerful works and special things to see through the name of Jesus, Your Holy Son!”

The Christians Are Filled with the Holy Spirit

³¹ When they had finished praying, the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. It was easy for them to speak the Word of God.

The New Way of Life

³² The many followers acted and thought the same way. None of them said that any of their things were their own, but they shared all things. ³³ The missionaries told with much power how Jesus was raised from the dead. God’s favor was on them all. ³⁴ No one was in need. All who owned houses or pieces of land sold them and brought the money from what was sold. ³⁵ They gave it to the missionaries. It was divided to each one as he had need.

³⁶ Joseph was among them. The missionaries called him Barnabas. His name means Son of Comfort. He was from the family group of Levi and from the country of Cyprus. ³⁷ He had some land which he sold and brought the money to the missionaries.

The Sin of Ananias and Sapphira

5 A man by the name of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, sold some land. ² He kept back part of the money for himself. His wife knew it also. The other part he took to the missionaries. ³ Peter said to Ananias, “Why did you let Satan fill your heart? He made you lie to the Holy Spirit. You kept back part of the money you got from your land. ⁴ Was not the land yours before you sold it? After it was sold, you could have done what you wanted to do with the money. Why did you allow your heart to do this? You have lied to God, not to men.”

⁵ When Ananias heard these words, he fell down dead. Much fear came on all those who heard what was done. ⁶ The young men got up and covered his body and carried him out and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in. She did not know what had happened. ⁸ Peter said to her, “Tell me, did you sell the land for this amount of money?” She said, “Yes.” ⁹ Then Peter said to her, “How could you two have talked together about lying to the Holy Spirit? See! Those who buried your husband are standing at the door and they will carry you out also.” ¹⁰ At once she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in, they found that she was dead. They took her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ Much fear came on all the church and on all who heard it.

The First Church Grows

¹² The missionaries did many powerful works among the people. They gathered together on Solomon’s Porch. ¹³ No one from outside their own group came in with them because they were afraid. But those outside the church had respect for the followers. ¹⁴ Many more men and women put their trust in Christ and were added to the group. ¹⁵ They brought the sick people and laid them on the streets hoping that if Peter walked by, his shadow would fall on some of them. ¹⁶ Many people went into Jerusalem from towns nearby. They took with them their sick people and all who were troubled with demons. All of them were healed.

The Missionaries Are Put in Prison

¹⁷ The head religious leader heard this. Some of the religious group who believe no one will be raised from the dead also heard of the people being healed. They became very jealous. ¹⁸ They took hold of the missionaries and put them in prison. ¹⁹ An angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison in the night and let them out. The angel said to them, ²⁰ “Go, stand where you have been standing in the house of God. Keep on telling the people about this new life.”

²¹ When Peter and John heard this, they went in the house of God early in the morning and began to teach. When the head religious leader and those with him had come, they gathered the men of the court and the leaders of the Jews together. Then they sent to have the missionaries brought to them from the prison. ²² When the soldiers got there, they did not find them in prison. They went back and told the court. ²³ The soldiers said, “We found the door of the prison locked and the soldiers watching the doors. When we opened the door, we found no one inside.”

²⁴ When the religious leaders and the leader of the house of God heard this, they were much troubled as to what might happen. ²⁵ Then someone came and told them, “The men you put in prison are now standing in the house of God and teaching the people.” ²⁶ The leader of the house of God took his men and got them. They did not hurt the missionaries because they were afraid the people would throw stones at them.

²⁷ They brought the missionaries in and made them stand in front of the court. The head religious leader said, ²⁸ “We told you not to teach about Christ! See! You are spreading this teaching over all Jerusalem. Now you are making it look as if we are guilty of killing this Man.”

The Missionaries Speak the Truth

²⁹ Then Peter and the missionaries said, “We must obey God instead of men! ³⁰ The God of our early fathers raised up Jesus, the One you killed and nailed to a cross. ³¹ God raised this Man to His own right side as a leader and as the One Who saves from the punishment of sin. He makes it possible for the Jews to be sorry for their sins. Then they can turn from them and be forgiven. ³² We have seen these things and are telling about them. The Holy Spirit makes these things known also. God gives His Spirit to those who obey Him.”

Gamaliel Speaks in Court

³³ The religious leaders became angry when they heard this. They planned to kill the missionaries. ³⁴ Gamaliel was a man of the religious leaders’ court. He was a proud religious law-keeper and a teacher of the Law. He was respected by all the people. He stood up and said that the missionaries should be sent outside for a short time.

³⁵ Then Gamaliel said to the court, “Jewish men, be careful what you plan to do with these men. ³⁶ Remember that many years ago a man called Theudas made himself out to be someone great. He had about 400 followers. He was killed. His followers were divided and nothing came of his teaching. ³⁷ After him, Judas of the country of Galilee gathered many followers. It was the time for every person to have his name written in the books of the nation. This Judas was killed also. All his followers were divided and went away. ³⁸ I say to you now, stay away from these men and leave them alone. If this teaching and work is from men, it will come to nothing. ³⁹ If it is from God, you will not be able to stop it. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.”

⁴⁰ The court agreed with Gamaliel. So they called the missionaries in and beat them. They told them they must not speak in the name of Jesus. Then they were sent away.

⁴¹ So the missionaries went away from the court happy that they could suffer shame because of His Name. ⁴² Every day in the house of God and in the homes, they kept teaching and preaching about Jesus Christ.